Garage door won’t open: start with what you hear

What you’re seeing and hearing

• Silence, and the opener light and the other garage lights are dead too: the power is out at the outlet, not at the door. A tripped GFCI outlet is one common cause. Source: Garage door opener and lights both dead? Check the GFCI outlet first
• The motor runs or hums for a moment and the door stays put: Chamberlain lists a door that is not connected to the opener, a trolley stuck on its stop, an engaged door lock and broken springs. Source: Your garage door opener hums or runs, but the door won’t move
• A bang, then a door that feels like dead weight: that is the spring, a different problem with a different page. Source: What counts as a garage door emergency

Is it safe to use the door right now?

Yes, if the door is only stuck. Stop if it is not.

• Use the emergency release only when the door is fully closed, if you can, and never pull the release handle to raise or lower the door. Chamberlain says weak or broken springs can drop a door fast with no warning. Source: Your garage door opener hums or runs, but the door won’t move
• If the door feels extremely heavy, falls quickly when released, or will not stay open, stop and call a technician. The same page lists springs, cables or rollers that look broken as a reason not to lift it. Source: Your garage door opener hums or runs, but the door won’t move

DIY or a pro, and why

The power, the lock and the release are yours to check. The springs, cables and the gear inside the motor are not.

• Plug a lamp into the opener’s outlet. If it does not light, check the breaker, then press RESET on the GFCI after unplugging whatever else is on that circuit. Source: Garage door opener and lights both dead? Check the GFCI outlet first
• Look at the door lock on the door itself. Chamberlain’s fix for a door that hums but will not move with the lock engaged is to disable the lock. Source: Your garage door opener hums or runs, but the door won’t move
• If the motor runs but the trolley does not travel, check that the door is still attached to the opener. Chamberlain says the emergency release handle reattaches it. Source: Your garage door opener hums or runs, but the door won’t move
• Springs and cables are never a homeowner repair. Do not lift the door, wind anything or adjust anything. Source: What counts as a garage door emergency

What the fix involves and costs

• A worn drive gear is one cause a technician may check when the motor runs and the door is attached but nothing moves. We cannot tell you from a description that it is yours. Source: Your garage door opener hums or runs, but the door won’t move
• LiftMaster lists its chain drive gear and sprocket kit at $50.99 and its drive gear and worm kit at $27.99. Those are parts only. Installed cost varies, and we have no sourced figure for it. Source: Your garage door opener hums or runs, but the door won’t move
• If the GFCI trips again as soon as the opener runs, stop using the opener and have an electrician look at it. Do not keep resetting it. Source: Garage door opener and lights both dead? Check the GFCI outlet first